The Killer whale shows at SeaWorld Orlando has resumed just a day after, Tillikum, killed a trainer. It’s the third time the 30-year-old whale, who was captured in Iceland when he was two years old, has been involved in a death. In 1991, when Tillikum was at Oak Bay’s Sealand of the Pacific, he was among three whales who killed 20-year-old trainer and marine biology student Keltie Byrne after she slipped into the pool. The whales, Tillikum and females Nootka and Haida, would not allow her out of the pool and she drowned. All three whales were sold to SeaWorld in 1992, the same year Sealand closed its doors. In 1999, a 27-year-old man apparently jumped into Tillikum’s pool. He died of drowning and hypothermia, but his body was also found to have bite marks.

Should Marineland continue the Killer Whale show?

One of their main attractions at Marineland Niagara Falls are the Killer Whales. The Marineland website describes the Killer Whales as affectionate and gentle: more…

I was excited to see that Canadian Gardening magazine is running an online contest dubbed “So You Think You Can Garden” on their online site canadiangardening.com. Upon further investigation I learned that the prize is $500 and a requirement to blog on their site once a week for 6 months. This sounds like a minimum salary job and not a contest.

I’m very excited about the possibility of a CANADA vs. USA men’s hockey gold medal final in the 2010 Olympics. For this to happen USA will have to defeat Finland and Canada will have to defeat Slovakia. I’m very surprised how many of the teams have performed, so rather than predicting who wins and what the score will be, I will predict this:

USA vs. Finland – Prediction: Fights

Canada vs. Slovakia – Prediction: Dives

Why? Because this is exactly what happened the last time these teams faced each other.

USA vs. Finland 2009 – Fight

Anssi Salmela, of Finland bleeds after a fight with David Backes of the United States during the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship qualification round on May 11, 2008.

Canada vs. Slovakia Dec. 29th 2009 – Dive

Matus Rais, of Slovakia, pulls off one of the best dives against Canada during the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships just a few weeks ago on December 29th, 2009.

After graduating from the University of Florida in 2000, where the scholarship decathlete earned a degree in exercise and sport science, Mesler wasn’t ready to let go of his athletic career just yet. The Buffalo, N.Y. native reached out to the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (USBSF) and attended bobsled tryouts in San Diego in June 2001.”My guts hurt, but I had a huge smile on my face,” Mesler says of his first trip down the track.

Mesler made his national team debut during the 2001-02 season and was named as an alternate for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. But his proper Olympic debut came in Torino, where he finished seventh in Todd Hays’ four-man sled. Upon the conclusion of the 2006 Games and four seasons with Hays, Mesler moved on to Steve Holcomb’s four-man squad. more…

Niagara Falls MPP, Kim Craitor speaks to students about the danger of heart disease and cause of heart attacks. He stresses students not to smoke and keep active daily. Very few get another chance at life after experiencing a heart attack, that can be varied between a healthy lifestyle.

Those lives that could have been saved if there were a defibrillator and a professional nearby. But now thanks to technology, the tool has been automated and as easy as jump starting your car. Craitor supports the idea of having AED’s supplied in community centers, or ice rinks. The Good Samaritan Law passed last year in parliament protects those who use AED’s in good faith to save a life.

Paul Henderson was a talented but unspectacular left winger who was the unlikeliest of heroes. Unlikely heroes have come to define Canadian hockey. Will there be a hero tonight as Canada takes on Russia at the Olympics?

On September 28th, 1972 Paul Henderson scored a remarkable goal that concluded the comeback victory over a Soviet hockey team that had pushed Canada to the brink of defeat. Of course, none of this was supposed to happen. Team Canada was composed of the NHL’s greatest stars, and were expected to easily defeat ‘the communists’. The success of the Soviets stunned Canadians, who had always unquestioningly believed in their country’s hockey supremacy. “The goal heard around the world” was scored at 19:26 of the final period. For a moment the world stood still, and then as the red light flickered behind Vladislav Tretiak, Canadians hearts filled with pride and joy.

Today is the last day to cast your vote to have Niagara Falls added to the latest Canadian edition of Monopoly. Don’t let a city like Kenora (formally named as the City of Rat Portage) be voted in instead of Niagara Falls. Vote here: www.monopolyvote.ca/en_CA/world

Are you vacationing to Niagara Falls any time soon and planning on taking a tour of the area? Be prepared for sticker shock when you see how much some of the tours cost!

Of course there are many reasons you would go with a large tour company when visiting the area. Perhaps you would like to go on a boat tour, or a helicopter ride. Obviously for a tour of that caliber it would be necessary to hire a professional company to show you around Niagara.

But what about if you just wanted to go site seeing? Some of the local tours in Niagara charge anywhere from $75-$150 per person for a 3-4 hour tour. So for an average family of 2 adults and 2 children you can expect to pay between $300-$600! Not only are you paying a lot of money for someone to show you around the area, but you will most likely be with a large group of people as well. Having a large group while site seeing is not always a plus. It can take longer to explore areas with a large group, and you don’t have a say if you want to skip a specific part of the tour.

If you are looking to have the tour of your life and see things you want to see, then going with a tour company might not be your best option. A better option you may want to consider would be to hire a local that lives in Niagara or even a retired tour guide from the area. more…

The Pelham community is in the process of becoming a fully connected on-line neighbourhood called “www.MyPelham.com“. For both Pelham residents and visitors alike, the developers of MyPelham.com, are aiming to make the web portal a one stop source for all aspects relating to life, work and entertainment in the Town of Pelham.

“We are not simply creating a website”, Berkhout-Bosse clarifies, “we are establishing a social enterprise – a co-operative business model that provides long term economic development and tourism benefit to all community members while also generating sufficient advertising revenue to be a self-sustaining entity that limits the potential tax burden of Town promotion. more…

Vancouver represents DePeters’ first time competing at a major international championship at the senior level. His qualification for the 2010 Olympic team was buoyed by a personal best 15th-place finish on Jan. 15, 2010, in just his third appearance at a World Cup. He finished third at the 2009 National Championships.

DePeters’ father, Mark, a former aerialist and now a coach, started the freestyle program at the Buffalo (NY) Ski Club when Matt was 9. The oldest of three brothers, DePeters has been on skis since age 2.

Buffalo Roots

DePeters’ hometown of Hamburg is located approximately 13 miles south of Buffalo, less than 10 miles from the Canadian border. Also hailing from Buffalo is Olympic bobsled push athlete Steve Mesler, who should contend for gold in the men’s four-man competition as part of Steve Holcomb’s Team Night Train.

The Niagara Parks Commission has released details of how they intend to proceed with opening up the Maid of the Mist (Niagara Falls Boat Tour) operations bid process. Bidders will be able to submit their proposals this spring on merx.com. If you are interested in bidding you should preregister for a information session here.

A copy of the official Niagara Parks Commission press release is available following this jump.

On Feb 19th, Niagara Falls and St. Catherines are at a showdown to stir up the hottest chili to see who really has the beef. The event is this Friday from 11am-2pm, the winners at this event will move to St. Catherines for its downtown chili cook-off at Market Square. “Niagara Falls is a worthy opponent.” Mayor Ted Salci and Mayor Brian McMullan will also be one of the judges, judging while blindfolded. Last year, more than $3600 was raised for Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.

Tickets are $10, including sampling and water, and ballot vote for people’s choice award.

This weekend as of tomorrow 10am Friday through Sunday; Strewn, Konzelmann Estate, Reif Estate, and Niagara College Teaching Wineries will be having the CUVEE EN ROUTE event. Strewn and Reif Estate will be showcasing the 2007 Vintage Red Wines, offering tasting of excellent, top-end series. You will get to taste the Terroir Series, including Merlot 2007 Terroir, Cabernet Franc 2007 Terroir, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.

Konzelmann Estate Winery will be offering its icewines for tasting: 2007 Vidal and 2006 Riesling Icewines. Even after being selected for last years Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of the World for 2006, the vintage continues to shine. more…